Depositing guidelines
The basic information for depositing material at the NRLF is listed below. Please consult your campus storage coordinator for more detailed information. You may also contact Deposit Services at NRLF. It is especially useful to do so if you have material that is unusually difficult to prepare.
Depositing libraries are considered the owners and managers of the materials they deposit in NRLF. For materials collaboratively purchased and designated as prospective Berkeley Libraries Collections, ownership is shared among all Berkeley campuses. Legal ownership of Berkeley material is retained by the Regents of the University of California. In order to assure appropriate use of the Facility, unless otherwise specified, it is expected that material deposited at NRLF be intended for permanent storage.
Material eligible and not eligible for deposit
Materials may be in any physical form normally considered appropriate for library collections with the following exceptions:
- Materials that duplicate items already in storage at a Berkeley Regional Library Facility are proscribed except where justified by an approved Berkeley Libraries collection management plan for selective systemwide retention of duplicate copies. Exceptions to the general policy may be made by the Board. Special Collections material is exempted from this policy. (Guidelines for RLF Duplication Screening)
- Materials in an advanced state of deterioration are not ordinarily accepted.
- Highly flammable or potentially explosive items (e.g., nitrate films) are prohibited, as are items infested by mold, insects, or other vermin.
Records
- Book and booklike material
Each depositing library is responsible for providing a machine-readable bibliographic record for all book and booklike items deposited. The record standards and format must be compatible with the Berkeley Union catalog. Because the primary means of retrieving the material at NRLF is the facility inventory control number, the records must also be capable of accommodating that number. All Berkeley holdings at the Facility must be listed in the Berkeley Union Catalog. Inclusion of non-Berkeley materials in the Berkeley Union Catalog is a policy matter determined by the Berkeley Office of the President in consultation with the Shared Library Facilities Board. Contact NRLF for more information. - Nonbook material
Depositing libraries must provide a machine readable minimum storage record for nonbook material, the content of the record to be specified by the Board.
Requests to deposit
Requests to deposit material are reviewed on a regular basis by the NRLF Director and the Shared Library Facilities Board as set out in the Board's Procedures for Annual Management of Deposits to the Berkeley Regional Library Facilities. Acceptance of deposit requests for accessioning is based upon the ability of the requesting library to meet conditions outlined in the Regional Library Facilities Statement of Operating Principles, for example, condition, duplication, form, and bibliographic control.
Scheduling
Immediacy of need, availability of space, and facility operating requirements are considered when scheduling receipt of deposits. Procedures for submitting deposit requests, review, scheduling, and notification of requesting libraries of request disposition are available from NRLF.
Priorities
If the space required to shelve acceptable deposits exceeds the space available, the Board establishes the priority for acceptance of deposits.
Withdrawals (recalls and deaccessions)
Only Berkeley staff authorized by the owning library are permitted to withdraw Berkeley material from NRLF. A non-Berkeley depositor may permanently withdraw deposited items from NRLF, subject to any special agreements between the University and the depositor.
- Recalls (persistent items)
A depositing library may recall its deposited items from NRLF for return to its local collections indefinitely, subject to the policy on Persistent Deposits in Berkeley Regional Library Facilities (2/20/06) and any other applicable Berkeley collection management policies. To submit a recall request, use the Recall Request Form. - Deaccessions (Nonpersistent, special collection, and duplicate items)
A depositing library may deaccession its deposited items from NRLF for return to its local collections permanently. To submit a deaccession request, use the NRLF Deaccession Form.